The Federal Government of Nigeria announced that it is establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle, or SPV, to transport an extra 90,000 km of fibre optic cable to supplement the current connection and offer internet access to every part of the country.
According to Tijani Bosun, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, the initiative was authorised by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Tuesday during its meeting.
The minister mentioned that the Nigeria Startup House in San Francisco was authorised by the FEC as well.
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According to him, the two initiatives should draw interest from investors and members of the local tech ecosystem as important symbols of the government’s will to meet the nation’s connectivity and startup financing goals.
He said that once completed, the project will become Africa’s third-longest terrestrial fibre optic backbone, trailing only Egypt and South Africa.
According to him:
“This extensive coverage will enable us to optimise the unique benefit of having eight submarine cables already landed in Nigeria and therefore drive uptake of the data capacity that the cables offer beyond the current usage level of 10 per cent.
“Building on our existing work with the Broadband Alliance, this increased connectivity will help plug the current non-consumption gap by connecting over 200,000 educational, healthcare, and social institutions across Nigeria, ensuring that a larger section of our society can enjoy the benefits of internet connectivity.”
cc: Daily Post Ng
